Amidst the scorching air, from within a building resembling a massive Setha, sounds of bustling noise echoed out.
“Since the end of last year, after the Butterfly Xu Clan ambushed several groups outside Hongji Town, we haven’t seen anyone daring to go to that place in a long time.“
“These three women who showed up are a bit strange this time. Obviously they’re the ones who invited us here, yet… the moment they heard that place was occupied, they went ahead and took on the trouble themselves.“
“Yeah, they actually dared to proactively volunteer for this mess.” The people around whispered to each other, nodding.
Here, figures both tall and short, wearing modified old clothes with vine-armor elbow pads, leather knee guards, thick collars, or round silk-mesh chest padding, stood in the old house where sunlight streamed through gaps in the walls, discussing the three mysterious women who had appeared.
Some of them would occasionally look up towards the two men standing beside the thick wooden table at the front of the room.
These two were the ones who had gathered everyone here, also companions of one of the three women who had previously disappeared.
As for the woman who had vanished and then suddenly reappeared, everyone was filled with great curiosity, along with some probing and anticipation, hoping to learn from them the deeper secrets of this world.
……
In the gentle breeze.
On the desolate expanse outside Rosy Creek beneath the murky white light.
A figure, its fluttering cloak belted at the waist, walked step by step from the horizon.
Of medium build, his head was wrapped in a wind-blocking white cloth bandana. The collar of his clothes featured slanted, raised cloth buttons. Its deep hue blended Chinese and classical Western styles.
Although the young man had an ordinary appearance and was not of a robust build, he exuded a serene and gentle aura. His fair, healthy complexion also made people feel a sense of closeness at first glance.
The young man looked ahead at the town he had longed for day and night.
“How wonderful. “
He spoke with joy in the gentle breeze.
To have such a miraculous place on this wasteland is truly a vivid splash of life upon this barren land.
Suddenly, the young man turned his head. In the distance, heat waves on the ground rolled past along with plants like tumbleweeds.
Then he saw a small ball of light slowly descend, hovering in the air beside his shoulder, and it expanded a little to reveal the figure of an adorable little boy wearing a small black outfit.
{What has a big shot like you come here for? }
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been back; I’ve come to see if the renovations here are coming along well. “
The little spirit showed a sideways glance of that sort, then turned its head back and said:
{Is it fun over there with you guys? }
“It might not quite be the ‘fun’ you’re thinking of. “
After saying that, Lin Site smiled and turned back, continuing to step forward and gradually approaching the gathering place that many people in the land of lost frequencies longed for. The small ball of light drifted alongside him.
…
Behind the largest ancient stone hall in Rose Creek, outside a spacious house that resembled an assembly hall. Xu Aiyuan, who was supervising the renovation and modification of the hall’s speaker platform, suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind her.
A woman in a wine-red short-sleeved silk robe turned to look at the young girl running over.
“Miss Aiyuan, someone has returned. “
“Returned? “
Xu Aiyuan’s eyes flickered slightly. “Who is it? “
“He says he’s Lin Site. “
The girl exclaimed wow, “He’s changed so much. “
……
Amidst the rumbling roar of the airplane’s propeller.
Zhao Anlong, who had opened the glass canopy of the airplane, tossed a handful of orange peels away. Then he slammed the canopy shut with a bang.
“Is this seat for the bombardier? “
Zhao Anlong distributed small sections of the orange to the “Golden Lion ” Iska, then broke off two small segments from the remaining larger half and tossed them forward into the cockpit, before shoving a piece of the orange into his mouth and leaning back against the seat, which had hardly any space to spare.
“Some are, some aren’t. “
The squeezed colonel said:
“As for our aircraft, because it’s a test model specifically designed to create something like the ‘Science Demon’ from ancient legends, some of its designs have been modified. “
“Oh? ” Zhao Anlong, who had just put another orange segment into his mouth, seemed slightly surprised.
“The Science Demon aircraft? I thought if there were scientists involved, wouldn’t that be something mass-produced in no time? “
Facing Zhao Anlong’s question, Iska, whose features held a blend of gentle charm and handsome grace, smiled faintly:
“Perhaps for a country that possesses full, advanced technology it would be. But without a method to exchange demonic technology, it’s difficult for technicians and production workers to manufacture a complete aircraft and then have it fully demonized. Besides, we didn’t have that kind of advanced technology in the first place. “
“You didn’t? “
“Mm, no. Our scientists worked hard for a long time to find new, safe aircraft, upgrading and replacing bit by bit with caution. But then, during a certain experiment, a serious accident happened. However, that very accident gave birth to a strange demon that a certain Empire general had always wanted to capture. Unfortunately, because the scientific R&D department was too cautious, by the time the general learned of its existence, the aircraft’s Science Demon had already been shot dead. “
“Oh, I think I know what kind of demon that is. “
Zhao Anlong chuckled, “So, is this the one? “
“Alas, no. “
Zhao Anlong munched on fruit, nodding with an “mm-hmm, ” “Is this plane called the Doomsday? “
“Yeah. The Doomsday. “
Recalling the information about the “business card ” that Zhao Anlong had inquired about earlier, the Golden Lion turned his head and glanced at the contemplative look outside the glass cover.
The pilot up front, wearing sunglasses, turned his head and shouted over the din:
“Before the accident in the later Golden Shell Federation, we always thought this plane would bring the greatest demon catastrophe to the Empire, or even to several centuries of our civilization’s history. “
“So, I take it that what you considered a catastrophe was, to the later Golden Shell Federation, nothing but a minor incident. “
“Uh… ” The pilot was at a loss for words.
“Pretty much. ” The Golden Lion turned his head back, chuckling as he replied.
Zhao Anlong clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Well, aside from splitting off from World Ark and forming our own team, is there anything else we need to do next? “
The Golden Lion blinked, then turned to look at Zhao Anlong with a profound gaze.
“To the outside world, this incident is already an earthquake for the World Ark. The truth is, sometimes a large part of our work’s focus isn’t on macro-strategic design, but on preparing to deal with the many chain reactions that will follow. “
Iska added with a hint of caution:
“For instance, plans like preemptively spreading information about what the Archangel of Life did—such risks are simply too great. “
“A chain reaction? We’re just announcing the establishment of our own organization. What kind of chain reaction could that possibly cause? “
“Because there are very few of us right now. We can’t leverage the strength of many nations and their people to promote your plans, Mr. Yang, like we did before. “
Isca, nudged on the shoulder, adjusted his breathing before explaining:
“First, our greatest enemy, Mr. Life Angel, will assess the strength of Team Yang Buchen. He’ll use this to evaluate and prepare for his next move. “
Zhao Anlong immediately sat up straight, a grave look on his face:
“That’s right. Thinking about it this way, it’s sure to add a lot more pressure on Buchen’s end. And besides suspecting it might be a trick, the Life Angel will also analyze the possible next actions for both sides, hmm… “
“Indeed, Mr. Anlong. We should first wear down some of his energy before planning any new steps. “
“This waiting is truly nerve-wracking, ” Zhao Anlong said very bluntly.
“Even I’m worried for the sake of your world. Aren’t you afraid he won’t be able to resist, start a large-scale attack directly somewhere, and trigger the end of the world? “
Silence filled the plane for two seconds.
Isca let out a soft, dry laugh and said:
“The good thing is, seawater tributaries have divided the land. And now, we also know how to repel the apocalyptic demons. “
Amidst the low hum, a flicker of thought crossed Zhao Anlong’s eyes.
He closed his mouth and was quiet for a few seconds, then cleared his throat lightly and said:
“Yes, unless the other party directly abandons the temptation of the Key and the immense influence of toppling the ‘World Ark’ to forge their own Ring of Wealth. But then a lot of appealing flavor would be lost. Oh right. “
He turned his shoulder and patted the huddled Colonel Goldlion.
“Friend, you were just talking about ancient legends earlier. Is there any ancient legend related to me that you could analyze? I’m sure you already have a pile of intel on me on your end, right? “
Isaca’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Well, although I don’t quite understand. But based on experience, indeed a few of your Fogfolk do have some strange practices. “
He deliberated on the word, still swallowed this uncertain statement, and then shifted the conversation:
“I’ve actually been thinking about one question just now. “
“What question? “
“The matter of you pursuing the Path of Light out at sea last night. I recall that when you described the events of the past two days, you mentioned that you were only able to save the suddenly-attacked maritime signal station because the Science Demon’s train came to urgently bring you out to sea. “
“Uh-huh, that’s right. “
“And it all started because of a person who appeared inside the train, also holding a wooden staff. “
“Mm-hmm, and he’s someone my guild brother knows. “
Goldlion mumbled softly, rubbing his chin with his thumb, and said slowly:
“If I’m not mistaken, this person shouldn’t be very strong, which is why they made their announcement and immediately fled to the sea. First of all, they are not in league with those who attacked the signal station and the subsequent rescuers.“
“Ah, that’s obvious.“
“Yes, obviously.” The Golden Lion said slowly in a low voice, “Since they can appear by someone’s side, why would they let that disabled gentleman keep the wooden staff instead of taking it back?“
Zhao Anlong leaned back, arms behind his head, resting his hands on the back of his neck and said, “Maybe they didn’t have time, I think.“
The Golden Lion shot him a glance.
Zhao Anlong, with a faint smile on his lips, narrowed his eyes.
“Let’s assume that the wooden staff belongs to the same organization. I’m just saying, hypothetically. Then what happened to this staff before it fell into the hands of the target, that disabled gentleman?“
“Huh…“
“Since they could appear with foresight, why didn’t they go and alter that danger, just as that second enemy staff wielder did when they appeared last night to save someone?“
Zhao Anlong thought about it carefully.
The Golden Lion said solemnly:
“That latecomer ran away, didn’t he? At the same time, they originally saved the assailant, but later failed due to President Yang Buchen’s pursuit, which exceeded his usual strength, and the latecomer took the staff away.“
Zhao Anlong sat up, pondering.
Colonel Iskar said, “When you asked me about the business card earlier, it suddenly made me think of this connection.“
“What connection?“
Zhao Anlong turned his head to look at him.
“This inference has a premise: that all similar wooden staves are owned by the same organization. If so, then the hypothesis has a high probability of being valid. That is, for the wooden staff in that gentleman’s hand you’ve been notified about, members of this organization would not actively go to retrieve it. “
Zhao Anlong’s eyes snapped wide open.
……
Inside the old room where sunlight streamed through holes in the wall.
By the table, one person had long black hair reaching down to his shoulders, with rough, coarse skin. The other stood half a head shorter, his jaw muscles appearing very firm, but his entire being exuded a strange yet harmonious sense of power.
“Will they succeed? “
“That group from the Dieshu Consortium is very strong; who knows? “
Feeling those gazes fixed on him, the slightly taller Xiao Zongxun also felt it somewhat hard to believe and quietly glanced sideways at the people gathered in the surrounding room who were speaking, as well as Ji Cong, who was flipping through a small notebook beside him.
Even though Ji Cong acted perfectly calm, Xiao Zongxun could still sense the underlying tension radiating from this man’s heart.
“Hoo. ” After a pause, the waiting Xiao Zongxun, feeling parched, turned around and surveyed the meager supply of water they had stored.
He thought for a moment, then was just about to turn and say something to the group in the room.
Suddenly, a bang sounded, and the lopsided wooden door was shoved wide open.
Among the swirling dust, a woman with a slender and agile figure stepped through the door first, holding a startling blood-red longsword in her hand. Following closely behind her was Xue Qi, who wore a long gown and had a thick head of wavy hair, and finally, Ning Jiajia, dressed in a white skirt, walked in from the side.
“That sword. “
The eyes of everyone in the room first fell on these three brightly dressed women, then shifted in unison to gaze at the blood-red longsword.
“This is the ‘Die Xu Sword’ owned by the leader of the Xu Clan. “
As Hua Mi raised the weapon in her hand, everyone in the room suddenly heard the mental command, ‘Chrono Weapon discovered.’
“What! “
The people inside were utterly incredulous as they stared at the woman before them.
“My friends, the greatest threat you faced here is now no more. “
Ning Jiajia, standing by the doorframe, said with a light smile:
“So, the entrance to the Broken City that appeared on your side now belongs to everyone again. “
“Is… is this true? ” Some people in the room stared blankly at the three.
……
The demon train raced across the land.
Ahead, a pristine wooden cabin came into view. With a resounding roar, the train came to a halt beside the cabin.
{Huh? }
{Hey hey? }
Two small wisps of light descended from the sky. Little Sour, clad in a crystal-threaded black cheongsam, and Grainy Tooth, in her sparkling dress, looked at the demon train that had suddenly appeared here.
The train’s light-like eyes glanced up at them as well.
{So amazing. }
Lililiya cheered:
{It only took the influence of less than one page to witness a person vanishing, and even made a big star who had disappeared for days appear. }
{…… }
The demon train was silent for a moment. Then, Li Aimin, dazed and disoriented inside the train, staggered out of the pushed-open door, dragging two pieces of beige Fee & Travel Vouchers. He could barely avoid throwing up as he leaned on the train, gasping for a long time.
The two small lights “whooshed ” over, circling him and looking at Li Aimin from left to right.
{Where did you come from? }
Li Aimin, wearing a mask, looked up, took a step back in surprise, and stared at the two little sprites in front of him, “And you all are? “
{We are reporters. }
Lililiya rested her hands on her hips, while the small sour-orange-ah on the side glanced at him wearily.
{When did you all return? Don’t you remember? } the demon train said.
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